(Youngjae's Perspective)

Press to fast forward so the days turn to weeks. Then weeks into months, months into a year and counting as time continued on. And amongst all the things that changed, so much was still the same at its core.

Things about Daehyun have changed. But in his core, he was still that soft spoken man who thrived off helping those he held close to his heart. His genuine kindness and shows of love were buried underneath layers of the suffering he'd endured at the hands of those he'd once considered important to him. The change comes from peeling off those layers, one at a time, and slowly opening himself back up and allowing people into his heart bit by bit.

He still has his bad days. Those days where he's a bit more hesitant with his words and more shy with his touches. They were usually followed or preceded by the nights where he woke up in a cold sweat, panicking because his slumber brought him back to the years he'd spent suffering in the form of a nightmare.

Youngjae did his best to help his boyfriend through it when that happened, and he was glad to say those situations have lessened as time ticked onward! The combination of a solid support system and guidance from therapy had done wonders for him. So much so that Zelo remarked this Daehyun was pretty close to the Daehyun from before what he called the 'chicken era'!

Zelo's umma had gone to great lengths to get Daehyun legally recognized as a son of hers. It took a bit of haggling and time, but she'd been able to figure something out once she'd discussed the situation with a family lawyer. Even though he was an adult, Daehyun's birth parents had to sign their parental rights over him away so Ms. Choi could legally take Daehyun in as her son.

Given that Daehyun now had a certificate that listed Ms. Choi as his legal parent, the Jungs had no problem with making Daehyun's disownment legalized. Youngjae considered it for the better. Actually having an active and supportive parent he could count on was also doing wonders for Daehyun!

Two different apartments at a noisy complex eventually turns into a merged one. Then that shared apartment becomes a house on the outskirts of town in a quieter neighbourhood...

A waiter/one day manager job switches into four days of management and three days of respite...

A part time job as a baker and occasional barista turns into just a baking job on the other side of town with new faces that become new friends...

True to his word, Youngjae called his umma twice a month. He always tried to steer the conversation away from anything relating to his relationship with Daena, but that was easier said than done. Sometimes, he made an excuse to dip out of the call early. Other times, he gave in just enough to satisfy her, but not so much that he was revealing anything more than what people usually revealed in relationship small talk.

They did manage to coerce him into a several visits over the past year. Youngjae even got Daehyun to come out there with him for a few of those! Only if he felt up to it, and always disguised...

Youngjae never felt the best mentally after visiting his parents. His soul always ached with how much they brushed him off for his 'girlfriend', even when he was there alone. Not even Daehyun as Daena having a solo talk with Youngjae's umma about her constant dismissiveness of her son being rude lessened that behaviour. At least visits with them weren't too common, especially since they'd sold the lake house this past winter without telling him.

Until Youngjae was at their house to get the keys and money to clean up the place when springtime rolled around, that is. At least he didn't keep anything of personal value out there, or he would've been far more upset! But no longer needing to be out that way meant he was far less likely to drop by just because he could. Not that Youngjae did that often anyways, but still! There were a few times where he hadn't felt like cooking or eating out while at the lake house, so he dropped by his parents' place for some homemade cooking!

Just because being around them was infrequent didn't make it hurt any less, though. As much as Youngjae tried to push those bad feelings away, he was finding that it was much harder to do the longer things went on.

But just as Youngjae did for him, Daehyun always did his best to help Youngjae through the times he held in the tears and tried to pretend like he was unaffected. Either by helping with self-distraction techniques, or when the feelings were too strong to be distracted from, by holding him and soothing Youngjae through the inability to keep it bottled in...

The places they call theirs and the places they go may change, but the people by their side were still the same.

Zelo was still his spastic self, whether it was at the top floor apartment he shared with Jongup, or at the new place he'd found himself at closer to a university that would allow him to study all facets of fashion design, not just cosmetology. Nothing would stop him from dressing up the way he pleased, happily dragging Daehyun along with him to places when shared free time allowed out.

Jongup was just as innocently childish and gleeful. No one was too sure why, but he'd decided to follow Zelo to his new place to keep him company instead of being able to stay rent free in the complex his parents owned. Maybe it had something to do with not wanting to be alone but also not wanting to find a new roommate? Jongup was a man of many mysteries, and this was just another to add to the list.

Hyunsik's been doing the best he could to get back in the swing of things. He didn't like living so far away from his friend group, so as soon as he could, he'd found himself moving back into 204 when Daehyun had moved down into 104 with Youngjae. He busied himself with his office job mostly, but he did his best to make time for his friends... When he wasn't trying to get back into the dating scene, that is.

Jaebeom eventually had to quit his waiter job at the Chartreuse Yard due to his knee problems getting worse and requiring reparative surgery. He moved back in with his umma shortly before the surgery and had been stuck there since recovering. Youngjae tried to visit him when he could so his best friend wouldn't be too lonely, and if the scheduling allowed it, Daehyun joined him for that trip! Jaebeom insisted he was fine without 'being pestered' as he put it, but Younghae had known him for long enough that he could tell he appreciated the visits. Especially since they were two of the three people who visited him, and the third was Jinyoung, who couldn't drop by when school got busy.

Between getting ready for her wedding and getting things figured out with her bridesmaids, Jieun was still working steady as a hairdresser. That dream job of hers played well into her love for gossip and sharing the latest news. Whether it was with Yongguk or female friends of hers, or Youngjae and Daehyun or with just one of them, there was always something going on that she just had to share!

Yongguk ended up becoming a library assistant after the place they worked at was bought out. He was much happier working there than he ever had been at his previous position. It was also a work environment that allowed him to work on his own things when there wasn't work to be done. Things like poetry, or figuring out wedding planning!

In being a part of that wedding, in seeing his two friends that he'd introduced to each other standing at the altar with such loving looks in their eyes as they exchanged theirs vows, Youngjae knew there was only one person he'd ever be able to share such a thing with and had a yearning in his heart to do so.

Daehyun was his one and only, the man he loved so deeply that doing anything but was unfathomable! When he looked at himself and where he thought he'd be in five years, ten years, or an entire lifetime from now, Daehyun was still right there by his side. Them cheering each other on, sharing in the other's victories, and being there to help carry the other's burdens when the going got tough.

The topic of marriage wasn't foreign between them. From casual hints to outright discussions of the future they'd like to share together and how they'd go about it, Youngjae and Daehyun had a mutual understanding that they'd both like to be joined in matrimony and continue living on the way they had been.

As the celebration went on after the shared kiss that blessed his two friends' union, Youngjae found his way to Daehyun at the table designated for close friends and family. Right at his name card, which was placed directly next to Youngjae's. “Hey, sweetheart,” Daehyun greeted cheerily as Youngjae slipped into his seat next to him. “You looked good up there...”

'Up there' meaning at the Best Man's spot! Yongguk had given that spot to Youngjae, saying he deserved it since without him introducing them, none of this would've ever been able to happen. Not that Youngjae would've refused even without the reasoning. He was flattered to be given such a lofty title!

Youngjae simpered at the compliment and laced their fingers together. “Certainly you weren't only focusing on me when it was Yongguk and Jieun getting married,” he teased.

“I paid attention to them when they were doing the whole... vow thing. It just felt awkward to watch them kiss, so I uh...” Daehyun squeezed Youngjae's fingers a tiny bit before grabbing his water with his free hand. “Well, I decided I wanted to admire you in place of that.” He hid his smile behind a few sips from his glass.

“I won't argue with that!” After Daehyun set his empty glass down, Youngjae added, “You look quite handsome yourself, if I may say so.”

“Oh uh, Well, I um...” He chuckled a little bit as he glanced off to the side. “Of course you'd pick after I finished my drink to tell me that...”

“Can't have you hiding that beautiful smile of yours from me.”

Daehyun didn't bother to hold in the delighted giggle that came from Youngjae telling him that. “Well, I'm glad you think so...” He shimmied his shoulders slightly, a subconscious habit of his Youngjae noted he did whenever he felt pleased. “It's um... honestly a bit weird for me to be wearing a tuxedo? I'm not used to my formal attire being... this.”

“You're used to your skirts and dresses, and there's nothing wrong with that. You look good in those, too!” Youngjae punctuated his sentence with a wink.

“Aren't you in a flattering type of mood today... What am I going to do with you, sweetheart?” he teased, gently nudging Youngjae's shoulder with his.

Youngjae was sure he would've found some response to give his lover. If, throughout the cheers of celebration and excitement, a wild bouquet hadn't flown right into the conversation by clonking Daehyun upside the head! He let out a panicked squeak and ended up catching the bouquet in his lap, while Youngjae took in the surroundings to figure out what had just happened.

“Jieun, you threw it too hard!”

“Thought you left the softball arm back in high school, unnie!”

“UNNIE, YOU HIT SOMEBODY!”

When Daehyun's hand slipped out of Youngjae's to actually pick up the bouquet that had landed in his lap, Youngjae's eyes fell upon Jieun decked out in her wedding finery, rubbing at the back of her neck sheepishly but grinning widely. “Uh... my bad, everyone!” she chuckled. Everyone laughed along with her and settled back into the celebrating, so Youngjae brought his attention back to his boyfriend.

Daehyun observed the thrown bouquet in his one hand while he rubbed where it'd hit his head with his other. “I... guess I have this now?” He looked up confusedly, and Youngjae tried not to laugh at how lost he looked. “What do I do with it?”

Youngjae hummed in thought. “Maybe we could use it as like... a table centerpiece?”

He nodded a slight bit, looking a bit less lost and more in thought. “We could... it does match well with the colours of the kitchen and dining room...”

At that moment, Yongguk stepped up to the table, but didn't actually make the move to sit down at his spot yet. “Sorry about that...” he chuckled.

“Oh, it's fine...” Daehyun assured. “I was just startled, that's all.”

“So long as you weren't actually hurt.” Yongguk fiddled with the coat of his tuxedo briefly before he continued. “I was wondering if I could pester Youngjae for a dance. Jieun's got her Maid of Honour out on the dance floor, so it's only fair that I bring my Best Man out for a dance or two...”

'So that's why he didn't just sit down to talk with us...' He glanced over at Daehyun. “Is that alright with you?”

He nodded. Youngjae made the move to get up, and Daehyun added on just loud enough for only Youngjae to hear, “So long as you save a dance for me, sweetheart...”

“Of course!”

He followed Yongguk out to the dance floor which was thankfully more than just the two of them and the Jieun and Maid of Honour pair. Youngjae's never considered himself a dancer, and he knew Yongguk wouldn't classify himself as one either. But it wasn't important whether they were good at it. This was a wedding celebration, not a dance competition!

“Thanks again for everything, Youngjae.”

“Eh?” Youngjae misstepped before catching the beat again. “You don't have to thank me so much, Yongguk. You two are the ones who made the relationship work.”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “I meant for more than just introducing me to Jieun.”

“Oh.”

“I'm serious,” he laughed, and he nearly fell when he tried to nudge Youngjae's shoulder. If he weren't aware that Yongguk was bad at dancing, Youngjae might've thought he was drunk. “You made our wedding cake...”

“I enjoy baking, Yongguk.”

“You also helped Grandma with the buffet foods...”

“Well, I also enjoy cooking.”

“You've stuck by me as one of my closest friends for years...”

“I mean, you've done the same for me, so...”

Yongguk spread into a smile that showed his gums before managing to spin Youngjae and surprisingly keep him from falling. “You know, Jieun meant to hit you with that bouquet, not Daehyun.”

“What? She meant to throw it that hard?”

Yongguk nodded. “She even specifically had her throwing bouquet made to match the colours in your house,” he admitted. “Jieun has been very dedicated to make sure her blessings as a bride made it to you and Daehyun.”

“That woman, honestly...” Youngjae snickered and shook his head in disbelief. “It's probably better that Daehyun got the bouquet then. There's no doubt in my mind that he's playing the part of the bride when we get married...”

Youngjae would put money on it, actually! A lot of Daehyun's comments about marriage pertained to wedding dresses and what style he'd like to wear, so he'd be genuinely surprised if his boyfriend decided to opt out of wearing the dress.

“When? Is there something you haven't told me, Youngjae?”

Youngjae couldn't help the laugh he let out at Yongguk's baffled look. “Nothing's been set in motion yet,” he assured amusedly. “I have ordered a ring so I can propose, though...”

While they were both on the same page about wanting to be married and had been for a while, Youngjae still wanted there to be at least some element of surprise to the engagement... Which is why he'd gone to Hyosung for help in figuring out Daehyun's ring size! It might've been more logical to ask Zelo or Ms. Choi, but with the way those two were, he didn't think he could've trusted them to keep quiet. Hyosung got the job done well, at least.

When it came to actually ordering the ring, he'd gotten permission to put the shipping address as Jaebeom's umma's house. Youngjae didn't want to have gone through so many hoops to keep it a secret just for Daehyun to accidentally find it in the mail.

All Youngjae had to do was wait for it to come in and wait for the appropriate day to arrive...

--

That day finally came one autumn Sunday.

Ever since their work schedules had been altered, Sunday was their shared day off. Sometimes, they spent that day doing their own things, and others tthey spent out and about with other friends or fulfilling familial obligations. But Youngjae and Daehyun always made sure to take at least one Sunday a month as a day for just the two of them. A date day of sorts, and the sort of things they got up to depended on things like how they felt, what was going on around town, or what the weather was like...

It had been a nice day out, just cool enough to require a light layer for when the wind blew, so they found themselves out on the town. The park that was a short walk away from the bakery Youngjae worked at got most of its traffic in the afternoon and evening, even on the weekends. So Youngjae and Daehyun were some of the only people there that late morning. After a pleasant stroll while chatting hand in hand, they took a seat on a bench for a bit.

Admittedly, it was a bit harder to retain hand holding status when they were both wearing oversized cardigans. Daehyun had tried his best when he crocheted them, and his was definitely bigger than the one he'd made for Youngjae to stop him from stealing Daehyun's all the time, but they both had floppy sleeves that extended past their fingertips.

Youngjae glanced over at him, taking in Daehyun's peaceful side profile. 'I really am lucky to have a man like him by my side...'

Daehyun's smooth voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Sweetheart, if you keep on looking at me like that, I'll feel like I need to hide...” he said, his fingers lightly squeezing Youngjae's hand as he shyly brought his gaze to him.

“You're stunning, I can't help it!” Youngjae admitted with a breathy chuckle. After pressing a soft kiss against his cheek, Youngjae laid his head on Daehyun's shoulder and took to fiddling around with his lover's hand. Mindlessly rubbing at the skin with his thumbs, slotting their fingers together...

By the end of the day, Daehyun would have the engagement ring Youngjae was going to propose with on his finger! Youngjae's heart quickened its pace, and his breath caught in his throat. The anticipation had the butterflies in his stomach going wild! Youngjae had never been this type of jittery before, not even when it came to confessions of love...

Sure, he'd been a nervous wreck before. Youngjae recalled how much of a mess he was during his initial days of figuring out his attraction to Daehyun. How he panicked at the prospect of even telling Daehyun he liked him. It was funny to look back on it now, but at the time, the gay panic was very real! Youngjae didn't want a repeat of his previous ex! His heart couldn't take being broken like that again...

He certainly had the proof that he wouldn't go through that again! Daehyun was entirely dedicated to his love for Youngjae, making sure that was shown in the little things he said and did every day. Like secretly learning how to cook Youngjaej's favourite breakfast foods so he'd always have a good start to the day!

This go around, Youngjae thought all the fluttering nerves were more for the anticipation of things to come rather than from the potential of things going wrong. It was two very different feelings that somehow felt similar. Like how putting your hands under really cold water pretty much felt the same as putting your hands under really hot water-

Loud stomach rumbling cut into his thoughts. “You're already hungry again?” Daehyun asked amusedly, and it took Youngjae a moment to realize it'd been his stomach that growled.

'Must've been me thinking about Daehyun's incredible breakfast cooking skills!' Youngjae leaned up from his shoulder. “Well it's close to lunchtime, so of course I am,” he pouted.

“We just ate breakfast a few hours ago, sweetheart.”

“So? There are three meals in a day, love.”

Daehyun opened his mouth to retort, but before he was able to say anything, his stomach intervened to let its hunger also be known. He closed his mouth, a slight hum of annoyance being the sound he decided upon in place of any words.

“Oh? What was that you were going to say?” Youngjae teased, nudging at Daehyun's shoulder with his own.

He let out a tiny sigh. “I guess my body's just used to eating on your schedule...” Before Youngjae could offer any input, Daehyun pulled him up off the bench. “Come on, let's go check out that sub shop that just opened down the way!”

After a filling lunch and putting the sub shop on their list of recommended food places, they went grocery shopping. Normally it was something Youngjae did alone on Saturdays, but when it came to date days, he experimented with recipes they hadn't tried before. Since Daehyun helped in the kitchen for that, Youngjae wanted his direct input.

With their grocery haul, they loaded up and made the drive back home. They'd only lived there since the spring, and it had been a bit rocky with the plumbing problems at first. But now that they had everything fixed up and done the way they wanted it, it truly did feel like a home, not just a place they were staying like the apartments had felt!

Youngjae had even gotten back into the groove of making his own compositions again! No longer living in the apartment complex meant he could play the piano whenever he pleased without complaints, and that helped him want to get back into composing! Only as a hobby, not for pay, and the only person he allowed to listen to the compositions he created was Daehyun.

They unloaded the groceries and had a bit of time to spare before dinnertime rolled around. So the two of them settled into their own things for a little while. Daehyun did some tidying up in his craft room while Youngjae took care of the house plants. He also sent a message to Yongguk asking for a wish of luck since after dinner was when Youngjae planned on putting things into motion.

Yongguk sent his well wishes, and then told Youngjae he better send picture proof after the fact! He'd have to be patient with that because knowing Daehyun, he was going to cry. Extreme emotions of any kind did that to him, not just sadness or panic.

Once dinnertime approached, Youngjae and Daehyun got to work with making their food for the evening, cleaning as they went so they wouldn't have too much to do once they'd finished eating. That after dinner period was the time they spent with fresh tea and piano melodies, and in Youngjae's mind, there was no setting that captured them better than that!

So after dinner, and after they cleaned up the few remaining dishes from a tasty meal, Youngjae brewed their evening mugs of tea. He'd been trying to get into the swing of actually using a kettle and making just what was needed rather than making a large batch like his umma had taught him. It was hard to get used to, but Youngjae couldn't deny that he liked having fresh tea every day rather than fresh tea one day and then the rest of the cups having been refrigerated until a new batch was made.

Mugs of tea in hand, Youngjae made his way into the piano room where Daehyun had already begun to play some smaller tunes. “Your tea, sir,” he said lightly, extending Daehyun's mug towards him.

He stopped playing with a giggle and accepted the mug. After scooting down the piano bench to make room, Daehyun said, “Your piano, sir.”

Youngjae chuckled and set his mug up by the stand while he sat down and got his music papers in order. He'd already planned the song lineup for this evening, as well as how he'd flow from playing the piano to proposing to his lover. All Youngjae had to do was give himself one more mental pep talk and then get into it!

He settled his nerves with a few sips of tea before he cracked his knuckles and set into playing. It always made Youngjae's heart leap when Daehyun's face lit up in recognition and he'd begin to sing the words he knew so well. Youngjae couldn't help but join in, craving that harmony of their voices more than he cared about focusing on playing correctly.

The queue was a walk down memory lane. Starting off with that first song Daehyun requested when he first moved into the apartments and had no idea who Youngjae was other than the pianist on the first floor. An instrumental of one of the songs they'd sung together at the New Year's party they met at. The first song Daehyun sung along to in their beginning days of him sitting by the piano while Youngjae just picked songs from his collection in the file cabinet. One of the songs Youngjae played the day Daehyun confessed to him...

Between each song, Youngjae paused for some tea and pleasant chatter filled with adoring looks and cheery laughter. It was hard for Youngjae to believe that there had once been a point where Daehyun couldn't even look at him, but now he acted so freely!

After he finished up the last of his tea, Youngjae braced himself. He went to flip to the next song in the list and pretended like he was shocked at there not being anything there. “Ah, I must've forgotten to put the sheets up here. Let me get that real quick...”

“Oh, did you write another composition?” Daehyun wondered as Youngjae reached over to the filing cabinet to open it.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Youngjae chuckled. Daehyun asking that question gave him an idea for the perfect line to segue into proposing! Carefully, he reached into the part of the filing cabinet where he'd placed the box with the ring he picked out and made sure it was held tight in his hand. “It's like... a composition of my love for you.”

“Eh?” His confused noise was followed by a sharp inhale once Youngjae brought that small box between them.

“Daehyun, my love... I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'll get right to the point of it. You are my one and only, and you always will be,” he confessed. Daehyun's eyes darted from Youngjae's face down to his hands, back and forth, and Youngjae opened the box with his next words. “Will you do me the honour of marrying me?”

As tears began to spill out from his eyes, his lips spread into a grin that went from ear to ear. With an enthusiastic nod, he exclaimed, “Yes!”

Youngjae's heart skipped a beat at the exclamation, and it was with shaky hands and a smile with every bit of his face in it that he slipped the ring onto his now fiancé's finger. Daehyun sniffled and wiped the tears from his face with his free hand as Youngjae did so, and once it was there, he held his hand out to admire it.

Youngjae tried to keep Daehyun's preferences in mind when he'd been covertly ring searching, and he was confident he'd picked out a good fit! A thicker, silver band with a small, pink sapphire inlay. “Do you like it?” Youngjae asked as he set the ring box up by his empty mug and the music sheets.

“I love it...” After wiping the wet streaks from his face again, he joined their lips together in a slow kiss. He pulled away only slightly to rest his forehead against Youngjae's. “And I love you... I-I didn't expect this at all...” Then he sniffled and let out a little chuckle. “I mean- Well, I knew that it would happen one day but... I-I didn't think that day was today...”

Youngjae gently took Daehyun's face in his hands and ran the pads of his thumbs over his cheekbones. “I know we've been on the same page about getting married for a while, but I wanted there to at least be some element of surprise to it,” he admitted.

“Well, consider me pleasantly surprised!” he beamed.

--

A/N:

Howdy y'all, I'm here before February 24th just like I said I'd be! (By only a few days, but still...) I hope y'all have been well! I have brought y'all a very fluffy chapter today, and I felt pretty sentimental for the progression of this story while I was writing it. Feels slightly bittersweet that there's only 5 to 6 chapters left...

In other news, I was pretty happy to hear that Jongup's got an OST on the drama that Youngjae starred in recently! It made my B.A.P  heart very happy to see that! (It's called Venus in case y'all are curious...)

I've lately been considering whether I should cross post my stories onto places like AO3 or Wattpad since more readers and writers tend to use those sites over AFF. I'd still be here, of course, I don't plan on going anywhere. But what are y'all's thoughts on that?

As always, thank y'all for reading and sticking with me!